Stiffened shoe-blank.



H. H. BEGKVEITH.

STIFFENED SHOE BLANK.

APPLICATION FILED JUNB15, 1914.

1,124,835. Patented Jan.12,1915. I

.UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY H. BECKWITH, 0F BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

STIEFENED SHOE-BLANK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 15, 1914. Serial N o.'845,062..

'To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY H. BECKWITH, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Stufened Shoe-Blanks, of which the following is a specification;

In the manufacture of footwear, it has heretofore been proposed to employ a box toe blank, made of some absorbent material treated with a substance to stiffen it, and

then, after the blank has been assembled" with the other parts of the upper,to soften the blank temporarily, then to mold the blank about the toe end of the last, and then to permit the blank to set or harden in its molded and shaped condition. Various expedients have been suggested or adopted for stiffening the blank and then temporarily softening it, such as the use of shellac or sizing of various kinds as a stiffener, and

a. solvent therefor into which the stiffened blank is dipped to soften 1t.

It is desirable that a blank for either counters or box toes should'not only be unaffected by dampness or the warmth of the human foot, but should also set or harden rapidly after being molded, and when set, should be both hard and resilient so 'as to retain its shape and also be capable of springing back into shape "if distorted by pressure when the shoe is worn, and should in addition be made of a material which-1s cheap to manufacture. Moreover it is preferable thatthe stiffening composition used in a blank which is softened by heat for the lasting operation, should of itself, render the surface of the heated blank somewhat tacky or sticky so as to cause the leather vamp and the lining to adhere to it in the completed shoe, but should not exude or flow from the heated blank "to an objec tionable extent.

The object of the invention is to produce a stiffener blankeither for counters or box' toes, of a material which is rendered pliable; at a moderate heat, which sets readily after being molded, and which, when molded in the shoe, is not only unaifectedby dampness or the warmth of the human foot, but is also hard and resilient so as to resist the pressure or blows to which it may be subjectedin theshoe and also to spring back into shape'if it is deformed, and which in addition is cheap to manufacture.

' tion.

With the above object in view, the present invention consists, as a new article of manufacture, of a stiffener blank for either box toes or counters made of a sheet of fibrous material 1mpregnated with a suitable hydrocarbon and adapted to be softened or rendered plastic at a moderate heat, such as by steam, hot water,.or dry heatif'desired, so as to be readily lasted in a shoe, and which readily sets or hardens by cooling, and, when set, is hard and resilient, and is unaffected by moisture or the heat of the human foot. The hydrocarbon which I employ 1s 'a'substance known commercially as Montan wax. This may be employed alone, or it may be blended with a suitable relatively hard asphalt, such as refined asphalt having a melting point of approxi-- ,pointof approximately 180 F., although the melting points of different batches vary somewhat. I preferably blend these two hydrocarbons in the proportions of about 6 parts of Montan wax to about 4 parts of refined asphalt so that the" resultant compound has a melting point, somewhat less than 212 F., sayabqut200 F. and will soften and become pliable at substantially 160 'F. The two ingredients are preferably heated and mixed together-in a suitable kettle or vat until they are in a relatively thin liquid and homogeneous condi- WVhile the mixture is molten and liquid, a sheet of wool felt or its equiyalent is passed through the containing kettle or vat to cause its thorough impregnation with Patented Jan. 12, 1915.-

the mixture, and then through pressure or calender rolls, which force out the surplus mixture and leave'the surface fairly dry and without an exterior coating. If desired, a

"thin skin coating may be left on the surand molded into shape prior to use. A box toe blank may be placed in the upper in'the usual manner and preferably secured by theline of stitches which secure the toe cap to the vamp, and the counter may be located inposition. The upper isthen ready for lasting, except that-itis necessary temporarily to soften the blanks and render them plashe so that they may be molded into shape upon the ends of the last. For this purpose, I employ any suitable form of heater, such for example as a steam pipe perforated for the emission of hot water vapor, and a support to hold the last in position for the blank to be heated. If desired, I may employ a hot water tankinto which the blanks may be dipped so as to be softened by the heat or a plate heated by suitable means. The lining may be. folded back to expose the box toe blank, and the latter heated until the stiffening compound is softened or rendered plastic. The lining is restored to proper position and by suitable means the ends of the upper are shaped about the ends of the last, thus accurately molding and shaping the blanks to fit the toe and heel of the last. The blanks, after being molded, are permitted to cool and thus set and harden.

On the accompanying drawing,-.Figure 1 shows a box toe blankembodyin-g the invention. Fig. 2 represents an assembled upper during the operation of softening the box toe blank.

Referring to the drawings, I'hav'e shown a box toe blank which is indicated as a whole at 10. It has the usual outline, and its straight edge 11 is skived as shown. This blank consists of a body or foundation of wool felt or its equivalent impregnated with a mixture of Monta-n wax and refined asphalt, which will soften at a moderate heat, as previously described. This blank.

is relatively hard and stiff and has relatively great resiliency, so that it can be' bent without cracking or breaking, and after being bent will spring back into flat condition. Such blanks are waterproof, are not sticky ortacky at normal temperatures, preserve their shape when molded, and are 'not affected by thew armth of the human foot.

In Fig. 2, I have shown a heater comprising a steam or vapor box 12 having apertures 13 for-the emission of jets of steam or water vapor to impart suflicient heat to softenthe stifi'ening compound into a plas tic condition. The steam or water vapor is not solvent for the stiffening mixture, and does not penetrate the body of the blank. In lieu of steam, I may employ a plate heated by steam, a gas flame, electricity or other heating medium. The last and assembled shoe are'supported by a rack 14 in position for the blank to be heated, asshown. Montan wax is hard and brittle, and when marked penetrabili'ty, and

melted possesses isable to penetrate and completely saturate- To compenwool felt and like material. sate for its friability, I add, as stated, a

asphalt, which adds toughness and strength to the blend, and limits to some extent the penetrability thereof, so as to. prevent it from unduly penetrating the leather vamp when the shoe is being lasted and the blank shaped and molded.

The stiffener blank of the present invention is cheap to manufacture. The Montan wax and asphalt may be purchased for a considerably less price than shellac or similar stiffening compositions. Moreover, the box toe or counter made with the blank of the present invention possesses marked advantages over that made of shellac or sin1i larly stiffened blanks, in that it is harder and more resilient so that itnot only better resists deformation by pressure or blows when the shoe is worn, but also, when deformed, springs back into its original shape.

A characteristic property of my stiffener blank, and one which is of particular advantage in the shoe-making art, is that there is a comparatively short range of temperature between the point at which the blank begins to soften and thepoint at which it is so completely or su'fiiciently softened as to be readily pliable or plastic. A result of this characteristic property is that the stiffener blank need be heated to only a moderate temperature to render it very pliable and plastic. The temperature at which the stifienerblan'k begins to soften is sufficiently high so that it remains hard and resilient when the shoe is worn, and the temperature at which the blank is rendered plastic is sufficiently low so that only a moderate heat which is not injurious to the leather need be employed before the shoe is lasted. 1

I find that, when a blank is softened and then subjected to pressure, as in the operation .of a lasting machine, the pressure causes a certain small quantity of the stiffening compound to ooze out of the blank and pence trate to some extent both the lining and the leather portionof the upper; and that, when the compound becomes cool, it stiifens them likewise Inv fact the three elements,"the blank, the Vamp, and the lining, are cemented together by the softened and plastic compound, with the result that the whole end part of theupper is stiffened. There is another result which is obtained, which is of importance. That is, I find that if the compound is permitted to harden and set, while the wipers of the bed lasting machine continue to hold the marginal portions of the upper and a box blank over the inner sole, it is unnecessary. to employ tacks, wires or other temporary fastenings such as are commonly employed, sincethe hardening of the blank in its molded condition causes the blank to remain in place without their aid. In this way, a saving in the cost of the shoe is effected, .as will readily be appreciated by persons skilled in the art.

Having thus explained the nature of my saidinvenltion, and described a way of making and usingthe same, although without attempting to set forth all of the forms in which it may be made or all of the modes of its use, what I claim is:

1. As a new article of manufacture, a stiflener for boots and shoes, consisting of a body of fibrous material, impregnated with a stiffening hydrocarbon, which is hard and resilient when cold and which is capable of being softened or rendered plastic at a moderate heat.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a

v sti'ffenerfor boots and shoes, consisting of a fl. As a new article of manufacture, a stiffener for stiflenin'g boots and shoes, consisting of a body of absorbent fibrous material, impregnated with a stiffening hydrocarbon compound, comprising a blend of Montan wax and hard asphaltum, said blank being adapted to be molded about a last when heated to a moderate temperature but retaining its stiflness at the temperature of the human body, and adapted to rapidly set or harden when cooled. 5. As a new article of manufacture, a stiflener for boots and shoes consisting of a sheet of fibrous material impregnated with a stifiening hydrocarbon material which is capable'of being rendered soft and plastic when heated so as to be readily lasted in a shoe when so heated, which is capable of readily setting or'hardening on cooling, and which when set is hard and resilient and unaffected by moisture or the heat of the human foot.

6. As a new article of manufacture, a I

stiffener blank for boots and shoes, consisting of a body of fibrous material saturated with a stiffening hydrocarbon which is HARRY H. BECKWITH.

Witnesses:

MARCUS B. MAY, P. W. Pnzznm. 

